Hi there,

I was googling frugal living ideas and stumbled on this wonderful website.

Let me introduce myself. I am a 31 yo SAHM my DH is 36 and we have a DS who is 20 months. we living in the suburbs of Sydney Australia.

Up until 2 months ago, we were a double income stressed out family on very good money but very little time.

So we made the big decision that I would resign from my very well paying job and make some changes in our lives. I was going to try and find temp work closer to home but recently suffered a miscarriage which just made us realise more how important family is etc. So having that life altering event happen to us, made us more determine to have a quality of life for our family so begins our one income journey.

We sat down and did our finances and we can live on one income however it is extremely tight, as I was earning 55% of our total income (ie: no going our on a regular basis, no extra treats and 2 mortgages to pay -one being our investment property). Luckily we will be able to qualify for some assistance from the government but that doesn't kick in until July (our financial year in Australia is July to June).

We have made some drastic cuts already of all our luxury items starting a few weeks ago, and we are doing okay. :yay!: We cut cable tv, reduced our internet plan, stopped going out for dinners, started cooking more from scratch and freezing food, keeping out for specials and buying bulk meat etc and freezing, started up my little vegetable garden again.

Its such a huge decision which is quite emotional for me as i guess when you are surrounded by a society that is so materialistic and its all about acquiring its such a different way of thinking.

but I am up for the challenge and look forward to a more quality family life for our son.

I would love to hear some stories as I am so scared, overwhelmed by our decision and hoping that we haven't made the wrong one. I would love to keep in contact with anyone in similar situation to inspire and motivate me.

Eventually when our family is growing older i would love to be able to be in a position to go back and study nursing . (yet another huge change as i used to be a product marketing manager in a the corporate world)

Thanks for reading,

Lien

Welcome! Our cultures are so alike - very materialistic, but there are those of us who buck the system!

__________________
Make someone's heart smile today.

The Really Needy, Special, Networking and Talking Mod

Welcome Lien from down under! You will definitely find some good frugal living tips here! Lots of money saving ideas & some great recipes on here also! It's nice to see people from different parts of the world on here. Just jump on in on any discussion. Looking forward to seeing you!

__________________
Mommy to Ariana 8/11/01 & Davis 4/11/05
I love my kiddos!

[/url]

G'day Mate!

Welcome to the board. Jump on in and join the discussions. By the looks of your screen name, you will be an asset to the living simply forums!

__________________
*************************************


Need help finding your way around Mommysavers? Check out our new forum: HOW TO NAVIGATE AROUND MOMMYSAVERS

Welcome!!!

Hi Lien! Welcome! Adjusting to 1 income, is very hard, but it sounds like you're on the right track! You do what you have to do, right? We're happy to have you with us and hope to hear lots from you!!

__________________
Have you been in the Spotlight yet?

Welcome to Mommysavers!! I have found so many great ideas here. I hope you do too!

Welcome to mommysavers you will love it!!!

Welcome to the board! This is the place to find tips, shortcuts, support and answers to any questions you may have. It's very addicting, and you hopefully you will come to LOVE it as much as I do. Please also post your ideas ~ I am sure that there are many we could learn from.

Glad to have you here & I hope to see you around!

__________________